


A Little Insecure

by MsThunderFrost



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Clueless Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Emotionally Constipated Thanatos (Hades Video Game), Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Thanatos Needs a Hug (Hades Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsThunderFrost/pseuds/MsThunderFrost
Summary: He thinks that Than is going to leave after that, as per usual. So when he finds Than waiting for him in the chamber just outside the Elysium arena, he must say that he’s rather surprised. “Than?! What’re you—?”“If you’re not going to tell me, then I suppose I’ll just have to come out and ask. Why was the fury in your bedroom, holding Mort?” Thanatos does his best to sound completely and utterly detached, but his face has grown more expressive as of late, and Zagreus can see how badly he is hurting.
Relationships: Megaera & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 471





	A Little Insecure

Zagreus is on his way to start escape attempt number forty-three (if he’d thought it’d been difficult to make it to the surface before, he obviously hadn’t been prepared for his father to issue that Pact of Punishment) when he catches her standing alongside his bed, staring at… _something_. Her arms are filled with clothes he hasn’t seen in months, clothes he hadn’t realized that she’d left behind when they’d—

He… really needs to learn to start tidying up after himself. What if Than had seen? The avatar of Death was well-aware of the fact that he and Meg used to be an item, but… well, ever since all that had gone up in flames, the Prince of the Underworld had had his sights set on Thanatos. Zagreus’d wanted to _repair_ his relationship with Meg, sure. It would be a rather sorry existence if they spent the rest of eternity hating one another—especially if Nyx’s hunch was accurate, and he was damned to return to the House no matter what. But he also didn’t want Meg to get the wrong idea; he was sorry, yes, but he wasn’t interested in rekindling a romance.

“…somehow, I should’ve known that _this_ would be his summon.” Meg is holding Mort just a hair too tight, the plush-doll’s black, beady eyes bulging. He’s worried that she’ll pop a seam if she keeps on like this.

“Meg, I… I wasn’t expecting you.” Zagreus… really doesn’t know what else to say. He _wants_ to make a mad dash for Mort, but he knows that it would be rude to just _take_ him from her. And after they’d come so far, he doesn’t want to do anything to alienate her.

“I just… came to collect the last of my stuff.” If there’s still stuff of hers that she’s left behind in his mess of a room, it can’t be anything she’s overly attached too. “And I happened upon _this_ on your bedside table.”

Zagreus nods, “Please, um… Please, be careful with him. I promised Than I would take excellent care of him.”

“Of course you did.” He thinks that she sounds a little jealous… which is odd, considering that it’d been her decision for them to end things in the first place. Sure, he’d _technically_ been the one that’d fucked up, but… You know what? Why was he dwelling on this? There was no reason for him to dwell on this when—

“Look, Meg, I… as much as I’d love to stick around and chat, I really have to—,” He’s interrupted by the resounding _gong_ of a bell, which heralds Than’s arrival.

“Zag, what’re you—oh, hello Meg.” Despite the fact that it is always near unbearably hot in the Underworld, Zagreus could’ve sworn he felt the temperature in his chambers drop ten degrees when Thanatos’ molten eyes landed on the first of the furies.

Zagreus can practically hear the wheels spinning inside Than’s head, and he thanks the Fates that, if nothing else, Meg is fully clothed. He may not have much in the way of a defense (how in the hell was he supposed to know that she would pick _today_ of all days to come and retrieve clothing he didn’t even remember that she’d left behind?), but at least Thanatos didn’t walk in on anything _too_ terribly incriminating. He has no doubt that he can talk himself out of this… if only he could actually make his mouth start moving. Than looks absolutely heartbroken, and, much to Zagreus’ annoyance, the closer Than looks to tears, the more difficult Zagreus finds it to speak.

“I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean to _interrupt_ —,” his molten eyes are fixed on Mort, which is still in Meg’s hand. Zagreus wishes that the floor would open up and the River Styx would swallow him whole.

“Y-You’re not interrupting anything, mate! Why would you think such a thing?” He tries to smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his mismatched eyes. He’s kind of hoping that Meg will step in for the save here… but who is he kidding? She’d made her feelings regarding their relationship quite clear when last they’d met in Tartarus—

Than looks like he wants to say something, but, like Zagreus, can’t quite force the words up past his throat. “I… I have to go. Work and all that.”

“Really…?” Regardless of the unfortunate situation they currently were in, Zagreus couldn’t help but be a wee bit disappointed. His time with Than was precious, precisely because there was so little of it.

“I… think that that would be for the best, yes.” He inclines his head slightly, hiding his face away behind his fringe. “I’ll talk to you later.” Than disappears in a flash of green light before Zagreus can say anything more.

“Well, that went… horribly.” He turns to Meg, crossing his arms over his chest. “You couldn’t have… oh, I don’t know, _told_ him that there wasn’t anything suspicious going on? He thinks something happened between the two of us—,” they’ve been courting for _less than a week_ (at least, he thinks it’s been less than a week), and already—

“Don’t look at me, little prince. You need to learn how to fight your own battles.” Meg says, placing Mort back down on his bedside table. “Anyhow… I’m done here.”

Zagreus rolls his eyes, “Of course you are.”

Of course she would leave now that everything had gone to shit. Telling him to fight his own battles—he wouldn’t have had a battle _to_ fight if she had just told him she wanted to come by his room to pick up a few things instead of just assuming that his door was just _open_. What if she’d walked in on something more _intimate_? He shudders to think how Than would respond to that—he’s already such a private, reserved person, that Zagreus is almost certain he’d hide from him for the rest of eternity out of embarrassment. Hells, he might hide from him for the rest of eternity based on what he’d just walked in on…

Zagreus walks over to his bedside table and picks up Mort. He remembers how devastated Than had been when he’d lost the toy as a child, and realizes that Than never actually told him how and when he’d found it. So what the hell is he supposed to do now? It’s not like he has any chance of tracking Than down on his own, and it seems cheap to use his summon for… _personal_ reasons. He doesn’t want Than to regret entrusting it to him. So that means… he needs to go out there and hope that Than decides to lend a hand. It’s not a sure-fire plan, but what other choice does he have? He doesn’t know how long it’ll take for Than to come back home, otherwise.

Except, seven runs and three trips to the surface later, and he hasn’t encountered Than once. And now… Zagreus is starting to get worried, because it’s starting to look like Than is purposefully avoiding him. It’s Nyx who stops him right before he enters his room, her ethereally beautiful face twisted in concern. He’s not surprised—Nyx seems to know everything, at least everything that happens in the House. She _would_ notice Than’s repeated absence.

“My child…” she says, “I sense that things are not well between you and my son.” Well, that’s a bit of an understatement. “I do not mean to intrude on your private affairs, but… please know that he is still new to understanding his emotions. He may be trying to make sense of it all.”

“I never meant to hurt him.” Zagreus’ shoulders sag, “I know that I should have explained myself then and there, but… to be honest, _I_ was still attempting to make sense of what was happening.”

Nyx inclines her head to the side, “Do you still have feelings for Megaera, child?”

“No.” The answer is immediate. “I mean… I’ll always love her as a friend, but… looking back on it, things never felt _right_ in the way that they do with Than. I just… don’t want her to spend the rest of eternity hating me, is all.”

“Does she know of your feelings? Or does she assume that you’re attempting to rekindle what once was?” Zagreus is about to say ‘yes, of course she knows’—because she _has_ to know, right?—but then he stops. He’d been attempting to curry favor with her by offering her bottles of contraband, just as he had with Than—

It would make sense that his intentions had been misinterpreted. Even if he had only meant to rekindle their friendship, maybe Meg thought that he was looking for something more? She’d even told him that they’d never be able to go back to how things had once been, and he’d agreed. Just because they were immortal didn’t mean that they didn’t _age_. Despite very little changing about their physical appearances, they were older, _wiser_ than they had been when they were courting. They both knew that a relationship between them wouldn’t work out, not after everything had gone to hell the first time. But still—

It was comfortable, and familiar, and even if it _hadn’t_ worked out the first time, he could see how it was possible that they might end up back there. “I’ll talk to her.”

“I believe that that’s wise.” Nyx offers him a soft smile, “But not before you talk to Thanatos. Ensure that neither has reason to question where you stand.” She says, “It thrills my heart to know how you care for my son. And I believe that Thanatos knows how you care for him, too. He will reveal himself to you again, in time.”

“Thank you, Nyx.”

It’s not really an answer. At least, not the one that he’s been looking for. Zagreus knew, heading into the conversation, that Nyx wouldn’t know Than’s whereabouts… but it’d been nice to think, for just a moment, that he’d have some kind of closure. That he’d walk away knowing that Than was okay—physically _and_ emotionally. But he supposes that that would be too easy. He needs to sit (or, well… ransack his father’s realm) and _think_.

Theseus decides to be a real bitch this time around, and so he uses Mort, half expecting that Than won’t actually show. He really should’ve known better. The power of Than’s keepsake is centered around being able to avoid taking damage for the length of an encounter, Than gifted him centaur hearts every time that he bested him in one of their little encounters to ensure that he survived just a little bit longer, Than was always chastising him for taking damage, getting hurt… No matter how upset he is, he’s not about to just sit back and allow Zagreus to get hurt when there’s something that he can do to help. And so he comes and dispatches the King, much to Theseus’s displeasure—

He thinks that Than is going to leave after that, as per usual. So when he finds Than waiting for him in the chamber just outside the Elysium arena, he must say that he’s rather surprised. “Than?! What’re you—?”

“If you’re not going to tell me, then I suppose I’ll just have to come out and ask. Why was the fury in your bedroom, holding Mort?” Thanatos does his best to sound completely and utterly detached, but his face has grown more expressive as of late, and Zagreus can see how badly he is hurting.

“I…” Zagreus swallows hard, “She was in my room, collecting the last of her belongings. I swear, I… I didn’t even know that there was anything of hers _left_. She certainly didn’t even bother to tell me that she was coming by.”

But that didn’t answer Than’s entire question—and judging by the elder god’s silence, he knows it.

“I don’t know why she was holding Mort. She already had him in her hand when I came in.” He says, “I swear, we weren’t up to anything untoward. I—It’s been brought to my attention that we might need to have a conversation to reestablish some boundaries, but… Than, please know that I would _never_ —,”

Than licks his lips, “I… I want to believe you, Zag.”

Zagreus takes a deep breath, “Let me tell you this plain: I have no reason to lie to you, Than. I have no reason to _want_ to hurt you like that. Those weeks you spent—rightfully—angry with me over leaving without saying goodbye were some of the worst of my life. I never want to endure that again, for any reason.”

“I can’t promise that I’ll never get angry with you, Zagreus.” Thanatos says, “But I’m not… I wasn’t _angry_. I was… hurt, I think.” His brow furrows as he tries to make sense of his still relatively new emotions.

His chest aches to know that this breathtakingly beautiful being, who could not be harmed by the blades of weapons or otherworldly magic, had been hurt by his actions, by his _words_ (or lack thereof). “I’m sorry that I hurt you.” He whispers.

There’s a momentary pause, before Thanatos concedes, “I know.” Then, “You’re sure that you want to… be with me?” He seems almost hesitant to hear the answer.

Zagreus frowns, “I wouldn’t have tried so hard to woo you if I didn’t want this, Than.”

“Okay.” He breaths, a tinge of gold coloring his cheeks. “Okay.” He takes Zagreus’ hands and brings them up to his lips for a gentle kiss, “Be safe. I’ll see you at home.” And when he disappears in a flash of soft green light, Zagreus is left feeling as light as if he were sped along by one of Hermes’ boons.


End file.
